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Congratulations to Eddie Redmayne, who was named Best Actor at the Academy Awards last night. His portrayal of Stephen Hawking in The Theory of Everything was amazing, and you can enter to win a copy of the movie, now on DVD.

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kia soul: the happy car

How cute! The car next to me pretended it had just married my Kia Soul!

I confess. I always kind of made fun of the Kia Soul.

I mean, it was so different and so out there. And using hamsters to sell cars? Come on.

Then I spent a week driving one.

And I would be hanging my head in shame at this moment if I wasn’t so full of that hamster swagger.

I totally get it now. This is not a car in which you feel shame. And that’s awesome.

I guess my camera couldn’t handle the electric green Kia Soul. This is way muted.

My friend, Ruth, and I drove the Soul from San Diego to Long Beach for a press weekend, causing heads to turn as we zipped up the 5 in our green machine. By the time we pulled up to the hotel and sauntered out of the car, proudly wearing our shades and newfound cockiness, we were totally prepared for the paparazzi.

So it was a little disappointing when the nice young man explained that valet service wasn’t covered, and pointed us to self-parking.

But that didn’t matter because we were feeling so good about ourselves. Intrigued by this burst of self-confidence, I researched the Soul’s history and discovered that Kia had chosen to feature hamsters in their award-winning commercials because they represent the routine and mundane. These little creatures literally spend their lives running in circles and conforming to the standards others set for them. When they’re given the chance to break out, they feel liberated and empowered.

As middle-aged women, that’s pretty much what the Soul did for us, too. We were no longer invisible. We were worth paying attention to. We were stylin’. (Okay, I may have gone too far. I can see my children pursing their lips and shaking their heads.)

Anyway, here are some of the features I really liked about the Soul:

. It felt roomy and comfortable inside but was small enough to easily maneuver into some very tight parking spots.

Nice and cushy.

. The high-tech speakers made my iPod sound rich and layered, which is important to me because I can’t drive without music.

Love these sleek speakers.

. It drove smoothly and got great mileage. One tank of gas lasted all week, including our round trip to Long Beach.

. The seemingly tiny trunk fit a ton of luggage.

Two big suitcases, two backpacks and a lot of swag.

. We never had to search for the car because it clearly stood out in every parking lot. Trust me, as someone who spends half her life forgetting where she’s parked, this is huge.

The one thing I didn’t like:

. We couldn’t get the voice of the GPS to speak up loud enough for us, even at its highest volume, especially when the music was on. We missed an exit or two because we just didn’t hear it. Granted, this could be the fault of our, uh, mature ears or that we somehow missed a setting but we had to turn off the music and lean in to understand what it was saying.

The GPS is easy to read, if not hear.

Overall, though, cue Pharrell because the car just made us happy.

It’s easy to see why pro golfer Michelle Wie is such a huge fan of the Soul and why it’s been such a success. I couldn’t help smiling every time I caught a glimpse of Kia’s Soul – and that, in itself, was so good for my own.

My friend bought one. The car salesman who sold it to her was Iraqi, and he had a heavy accent, and when he told her about how the speakers light up, he said, “Eet ees like ddriving een deesco”.
She bought it, anyway.
It’s a fun little car!

My mother’s last car was a Kia. When she passed away my niece inherited it. When she bought a new Kia she gave it to her youngest sister. Off she went to college and bought herself a new Kia. Now my son is driving it. 200,000 km and 10 years old but it is still going strong! I myself am now looking to trade in my honda minivan and buying a Kia!

We got to try out the Soul last year and really liked it. Probably wasn’t our first choice for a car purchase, but LOOOOVED the trunk space and how everything folded down. Plus it was a fun little car to drive.

I have to be honest. I never thought I’d be interested in a Kia. But after reading your review, and talking to you about its advantages, I”m definitely going to take a look at it the next time I’m in the market for a car!